Just For the Night
by Sheba the Lone Wolf
Summary: Tsume finds himself recalling how he ended up in the middle of nowhere with Rairakku. Tsume/OC. One-shot. Fluff.


**Disclaimer: Sheba the Lone Wolf does not own Wolf's Rain. **

**Dedication: Huskies4ever because she's the best. **

**Rairakku: In her human form, she is tall, slender, and fair-skinned. She has tan, shoulder length hair and sky blue eyes. She wears a skintight, hot pink halter top over a black undershirt with black jean shorts and black boots that reach her knees. In her wolf form, she is thick-furred with sky blue eyes and is mostly tan with white on her muzzle, throat, chest, underbelly, the tip of her tail, and all four legs. In both forms, she is never seen without her cherished pair of striped, black and hot pink arm warmers. She is a half-breed; her father was a Timber wolf and her mother was a mix between a Siberian husky and a collie. **

**A/N: I got this little idea and pondered on whether or not to do it for Sheba/Storm (OC/OC), Hige/Blue, or Tsume/Rairakku (Tsume/OC). I narrowed it down to the last two, finally decided that I wanted to do something else for Tsume and Rairakku. I'm sorry; I just love the pairing so much. Please read and review. **

**Just For the Night **

"Tsume…"

"Will you stop whining and go to sleep?!"

"It's too cold to sleep."

Tsume sighed and rolled onto his back, crossing his arms behind his head and gazing up at the moonlit sky. Two feet away, his companion moaned and rolled onto her side, murmuring complaints about the cold breezes and low temperature.

Closing his eyes, Tsume pondered on how he had managed to find himself out here in the cold, harsh wilderness, lying on the barren ground of a land of nothingness. He was here because of _her_. How could he have let a half-breed, whom had spent her entire life as a servant to her elderly master, drag him into the middle of nowhere in search of a place she called "paradise"?

He had found her lying among a pile of scattered trash, spilled from an overturned garbage can, in an alley of Freeze City in the middle of the night. On that night, the wolf's blood within her had awakened and, suddenly, she was driven to "paradise", which Tsume believed did not exist. But, he had not learned of her desires to search for paradise until the next day, when he saved her from being shot by an insane drunkard outside of a bar. With this knowledge, he also learned that her master had died the previous night of illness; she had been out searching for help for the elderly woman when he first met her.

She was a clever creature; she had convinced him to come with her on a pointless search for a place he thought could never exist. And, thus, he was now in the middle of nowhere with no warmth or shelter or food. It was times like these that he wished he had never met the half-breed. She was, no doubt, a pet, and very accustomed to being so. She was as helpless as a newborn pup, never taught to hunt or fight, always getting herself into trouble and relying on Tsume to rescue her. Even her name certainly seemed more like that of a mere pet than of a creature as wild as the wolf: Rairakku (which translated to "lilac").

"Tsume…"

"Go to sleep, Rairakku," Tsume demanded. He heard her whimper in protest. While he found the night equally cold and sleep impossible, he would never admit it.

With another heavy sigh, Tsume closed his eyes and awaited sleep; relief from the cold, relief from the annoyance that was Rairakku's whining. He sensed that she was moving closer to him, hoping to find a place to rest against him. Opening one eye, he peered at her fair-skinned face, at the deep, pale azure pools that were her beautiful eyes. For a moment, he heard silence and knew that she had caught his eye; she would cease her actions and wait for his reply.

"I thought you wanted to search for paradise," Tsume said. Her features clouded with confusion and, through closed eyes, he sensed her change in expression.

"If you can't endure sleeping through one night in the cold, you'll never be able to survive a long, hard journey through mountains and deserts and wastelands far worse than this. If you don't sleep, you won't be able to search at all," Tsume continued.

He could practically see her furrowed brow and displeased expression. She had never been one to be prepared with comebacks. She despised his sarcastic remarks, his negative words, and the fact that he was almost always right. In his mind, he smirked, visualizing how she would appear when she was pouting, as she often did in this state of displeasure.

Tsume felt the warmth of her sweet breath trickle across his cheek. His eyes reopened, he gave her a dark glare. Feeling the anger that heated within him at her closeness, Rairakku froze and looked at him with her beautiful, eternally innocent eyes, a whimper escaping her lips. Any being with eyes could, upon glancing into eyes holding such innocence, see that Rairakku, no matter how naughty she might become, would forever hold the appearance of an innocent girl, even at her current age of adulthood.

Peering into the blue innocence of her eyes, Tsume felt his anger melting within the pit of his stomach. She was irritating at times, but it was impossible to stay angry with someone as loveable and adorable as Rairakku. One glance into those azure eyes and his rage faded, replaced with his soft and tender feelings for her, hidden beneath his cold exterior and acting.

There was a hint of dismay in his eyes as Rairakku proceeded to move away, settling on the ground two feet away, her back turned to him. She despised the thoughts of fighting or arguing; she craved peace and affection. Thus, she scarcely stood up to Tsume, though she had taken to teasingly referring to him as a big softie, claiming that she saw through his "tough act", even though she seemed to fear his anger, irritation, or distaste.

A cold wind blew through the barren land, stirring the dust of the ground. Tsume heard Rairakku whimper and sensed her shivering in the breeze. He heaved another sigh.

"Half-breed," he whispered. She understood the meaning of his beckon and crawled to rest beside him. She was careful to keep a safe distance of three or four inches, only close enough to feel his warmth distantly.

"Softie," Rairakku called in a soft voice.

"What is it?" he demanded.

"Can I come closer?" she inquired. His reply was a fierce growl. Frightened, she gave a soft whimper.

A yelp arose from her throat when she felt his hands on her waist; she was braced for a dominating and scolding bite. But, his ferocity had vanished; his actions became surprisingly gentle and caring. He was lost in the warmth illuminating from her, a strong arm keeping her close to him; safe from the cold and anything else that might come with the barren wilderness.

"So warm…," Rairakku sighed with contentment. She rested her head in the nape of his neck.

"Don't get used to it, half-breed," Tsume warned, brushing a strand of stray, tan-colored hair behind her ear. "It's just for the night."

With a soft smile, Rairakku enveloped Tsume in a warm, tender embrace and whispered a quiet sentence:

"You big softie."

**A/N: I really like how this turned out. After I dug deeper into the idea, I realized that Hige and Blue wouldn't have suited; Storm probably would've tried to kill Sheba if she tried this. Please review. **


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